


Mechanical

by YoumiXxX



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Romance, Slice of Life, Trigger Warning: Implied/Referenced Domestic Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:20:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24943741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoumiXxX/pseuds/YoumiXxX
Summary: Vio has been acting strange lately and Red can't stop thinking that something is clearly off with his friend. He ought to find out the day he finds Vio collapsing in an underpass to the train station and him refusing to be taken to a hospital.
Relationships: Red Link/Vio Link
Comments: 6
Kudos: 28





	Mechanical

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as one of the many fics I wrote to get back into writing after a very long pause, which was back in 2017. Oh man, how time goes by. :) So, after translating and changing the one or the other thing, this is what I ended up with. I apologize in advance if the grammar and style isn't super smooth, since it didn't go through an additional editing, and hope you enjoy it nonetheless! :D
> 
> Trigger Warning: Contains implied/referenced domestic abuse!

Class seemed to stretch endlessly, the pressing heat laying heavily on his head like a thick wool beanie, cooking that overused brain in his skull to fried piece and preventing any further knowledge from entering. Red was mentally exhausted, unable to keep his thoughts in order and follow the class and force that newly obtained information in. It was so hard to focus on anything school related with the blazing sun blasting against the windows and the thick, hot air being thrown into his face by that joke of a fan. What genius thought that having math class in the late afternoons would be a good idea? He really couldn’t tell but whoever that was, that person never experienced the struggles of calculating numbers and variables, shifting functional equations and all that nasty stuff during such sweltering heat! How much would he give for some air conditioning right now? 

Red left a frustrated sigh, fruitlessly fanning some more air into his face with his hand in an idle fashion and drew his tired eyes away from the blackboard towards the window. Such nice weather, beautiful blue sky with a few white stripes of powdered sugar flying by, hot bright sun shining down on the pavement in an intensity that was nearly impossible to bear, heating the ground so much, you could see the air shift and twist like ghost ripples really close to the bitumen. The trees rustled softly, leafs hanging down tired-looking and withered, begging for water and some relief from the brute force of the merciless sun. Summer was a nice season, Red thought, long days and warm temperatures giving you so many different possibilities to use the time. Go for a swim, see the seaside, ride the bicycle, meet friends. There were tons of option on how to enjoy your time during summer – but not here in this oven of a classroom. He wondered: 

What would Vio be up to right now?

He didn’t wonder too long though and jumped in his chair in surprise as the school bell started ringing, announcing the end of class. Sighing in relief, Red relaxed again, running a hand through his hair and started stuffing his notes and books into his bag. Thankfully, math was his last lesson for the day, so he could go home now. 

_Finally! I thought this would never end!_

Happily, Red put on his bag and scurried out of the classroom into the hallways of the school straight on towards the front door that led outside. Most of his friends probably went home already since they were lucky enough to have one fewer class than him, so he didn’t bother looking out for any of them. He had a train to catch and it was still quite a distance to the next train station.

The sun blasted hot and muggy on his petite frame as soon as he stepped out of the building, weighing like a wet sack on his shoulders and Red flinched as the intensity of the light made his eyes burn. Boiling air hit his face and his lips and nose turned dry almost immediately as he took a first hesitant breath. This heat was inhuman. Some refreshment at the pool or some sweet, delicious ice-cream would really do him a huge favor now – but all of that, once he got home. Gathering a few cooler thoughts to distract himself from the burning sun on his skin, he moved on, waving goodbye to his sports teacher, who was waiting for the last few students to leave school grounds so she could close the gate. A few trees gave him shelter on his way down the road, the scent of peach blossom in the air. His thoughts wavered back and forth, wondering what he could do to spend the rest of the afternoon with, what he could cook for dinner, what Vio was up to… 

He surely was thinking a lot about Vio lately, apparently because he hadn’t seen him around school in a long while. From what Red heard from Green, he had signed up for a lot of advanced classes this year, so the both of them didn’t have a single lesson together. During breaks, Vio usually disappeared to the library to tend to his homework and didn’t join their small group in the cafeteria like he usually did. Mostly, he would also sit on his favorite spot on the school yard, a nice shadowy place under a cherry blossom tree, and read one of his books to relax, but strangely - he didn’t anymore. Now that Red thought about it even further, Vio also hadn’t shown up to any of their little group meeting downtown, saying that he had to go to work. 

_He… must be really busy with school and work and everything. I wonder if there is more to that._

Red’s shoulders dropped slightly, a long sigh leaving his lips as unease started to pool in his guts. Something about this wasn’t quite right. Vio was ambitious and determined, no question about it. He did a lot for school, practiced and learned every day to get good grades that he needed if he wanted to apply for medicine later, but the amount he was managing right now was horrid. And he also had a part-time job to deal with after school! Did he ever take a break? Did he ever rest and recover properly? Vio wasn’t the type to unnecessarily stress himself out over something, so why now? This didn’t seem normal to Red and he feared that there might be some kind of outside source causing this circumstance.

With his thoughts keeping him occupied and distracted from his surroundings, Red reached the underpass that led to the train station on the other side of the road. He walked down the stairs, relieved to feel a little bit of cool air brushing his sweaty face the further he went underground, sparse lights welcoming him and leading the way to the other side of the tunnel. There was someone else in the tunnel and he skipped to a stop in honest surprise as he noticed who it was. It wasn’t hard to distinguish the person, even with their back turned on him. The way they walked, so graceful and elegant, feet hovering soundlessly over the pavement. A sleek, white, button down shirt and a pair of beige, ironed pants embraced his svelte body quite beautifully and stark, white-blond hair shifting with the small circulation in the tunnel in a way that was oddly breathtaking. Red felt warmth filling his chest, seeping through a big smile on his face and his fingers tingling with excitement – it was Vio! This was his chance to talk with him. Vio was usually so reserved whenever Blue and Green were around. Perhaps, he would open up to him when they were alone. 

Joyously, Red started moving again and increased his pace, so he would close up to the other, tongue twitching as he was about to call out for him, but whatever sound wanted to come out quickly died as he watched the other more attentively. How was it that Vio walked so slowly? It seemed like he was… faltering. Red frowned. Something was wrong but just as that thought rose to the surface, Vio suddenly dropped to his knees and clutched his head, barely able to keep his body upright. He was about to faint!

“Vio!” 

Alarmed, Red was running now, reaching his friend in need as fast as he could and sank down next to him. “Vio! Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He received an airy moan in reply, Vio’s arms shaking under the attempt of bracing himself but his strength left him anyway and he dared to slump down. Red was quick enough to reach for his shoulders, holding him up and helped him to sit next to the nearby wall, so his upper body would lean against it. Vio wheezed, blinking tiredly and looking around himself slightly disoriented. His face was sickly pale, a small shade of pink dusting his cheeks indicating fever. Red flinched at the sight, pressing the back of his hand against his temple, the skin feeling unnaturally warm and sweaty. Yes, he was definitely sick.

“Vio? Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?” Red asked loudly but calm still and waited for the other to deliver some kind of information for his questions. He did. It was a small shake of his head or more something along the lines of a shake – not a good sign. Doing the only, most reasonable thing he could think of, Red grabbed his cell from his pants pocket. “I’m calling an ambulance, Vio! Don’t worry, you’ll be fine!”

“No…” Just, as Red was about to press in the number, slim fingers grasped his wrist weakly, preventing him from going any further. He looked up, meeting Vio’s exhausting looking, ice-blue eyes. Did he see him, recognize him? Red wasn’t too sure about it. The other seemed like he was in some kind of haze. “Don’t…” Vio muttered. “Please don’t…”

“Why not?” Red asked confused. “You need help, Vio! You might be severely sick!” 

“No ambulance…” Vio mumbled, shaking his head again desperately. “My dad… he-.” Heaving a struggled breath, he trailed off again, eyes roll back into his head and his grip loosening, hand dropping back onto his lap with a silent thud. 

Red blinked in surprise, lowering his phone and reached out to caress the other’s arm softly, comforting him. “What about your dad?” 

The weakened youth didn’t open his eyes but his ears twitched in reaction, showing that he was still receiving his words. “He…” Vio said throatily. “He’ll be mad if he finds out that I’m in hospital… again.”

Shocked at the reveal, Red’s eyes widened in disbelief. So Vio had been in hospital before and his father would be mad about it? Why? His head fumed from questions, many question that he wanted to be answered but his main concern was Vio’s well-being for now. If not the hospital, what was he supposed to do then? Red had his phone still in hand, he just had to press the green button and set the call but his friend seemed so frightened. Despite his miserable state, Vio still managed to make him stop somehow, perhaps subconsciously. Maybe it would be better to oblige to his plea. 

“Okay, I won’t call an ambulance,” Red promised, putting his cell back in his pants pocket. “But I can’t just leave you here like this.” A thought occurred him. _Could this work?_ “Vio, do you think you’ll be able to walk when you lean on me? I’ll get you to my place. It’s only five minutes away with the tram. Can you do this?” 

Something stirred inside of Vio, eyelids opening and closing sluggishly, lips parting to release another puff of hot air. Then, he slowly breathed: “I can try.” 

Satisfied, Red grabbed Vio’s bag first and flung it over his shoulder, so he wouldn’t have to carry the extra weight with him. After that, he carefully helped Vio to his feet, one hand holding his hips securely and the other fixing his arm holding on to his shoulder. It took the other a couple of seconds to steady himself again, making full use of Red as his supportive backbone but eventually, he was good to go and gave him a half-hearted murmur to vocalize that they could start moving. 

Red nodded confidently and took a few slow steps first, seeing if Vio could hold up. He did, even if his legs weren’t cooperating exactly the way he wanted them to be but it was good enough to make progress. The stairs proved to be difficult, but even that worked out with a little bit more patience. Luckily, they caught the next train just in time and one of the passengers was kind enough to offer their seat for Red’s sick friend. Vio was silent most of the time, a few soft wheezes the only sound he made every now and then. Red wasn’t sure if he was still conscious or able to fully comprehend what was happening around him. This wasn’t the smartest thing to do in all honesty, but Vio wouldn’t refuse to be taken to a hospital without reason – whatever his father had to do with that. Perhaps, Red would figure it out later.

-

Weak. He felt weak, this devastating heaviness tearing at his muscles and bones slowing him down, draining all of his energy that he desperately held on to in order to keep moving. Working. Functioning. Vio hadn’t felt proper rest in so long, hadn’t felt energized or motivated, his ambition perfectly in tune with his body sounding like childish wishful thinking to his ears. The only rest he ever received was ungrateful sleep, the nights too short to recover fully and nightmares tearing him out from his slumber way too fast, preventing from grasping that small trace of peace that he craved for so badly, a small moment to be torn away from the madness reality called upon him and being embraced by soundless blackness. No suffer. No fears. A place where he was fine. A place where his body wasn’t sick. A place where his own crushing and haunting thoughts weren’t the fuel that made him move forward in hopes of betterment. When had it all turned out like this? He couldn’t remember. It felt like it had always been like this, like he hadn’t known it any other way, like this constant weakness and mental emptiness had always been a part of him - the part that wanted his flaws to vanish. 

Vio felt himself recover consciousness, the heaviness in his limbs becoming more present and the comforting blackness surrounding him slowly fading away. Wheezing filled his hearing, his own pathetic attempts of gaining breath. The heat that he recalled from his memory was mostly gone from what he could assess in his hazy, unresponsive state and his head was enfolded with a strange lightness. Dragging slowly, two ice-blue eyes opened, meeting a plain white ceiling. He moved his head, a soft cushion scrunching under his head and the rustling of warm, heavy bed sheets resonating through the room. His back felt strangely relaxed, the futon bracing his stiff muscles gently and caring. Ah yes, he remembered this sensation, familiar still. 

_Hospital…,_ Vio thought sadly, forcing his brain to spit out the last memories he could recall. _I’m in hospital again. I… was in school. Library. Science class. I wanted to get home. Someone must have found me passed out on the way to the train station._

With a long sigh, he pulled out one of his hands from underneath the blanket, touching his forehead but found himself confused as his fingers sensed a different texture than the one he expected. He picked the unknown object up and eyed it quizzically. A wet washcloth? So he got feverish perhaps? This made sense but the washcloth didn’t. Doctors didn’t use washcloths like this, right? They would give him an IV and inject some kind of medication instead. Did he have an IV? Vio checked his arm – he didn’t. Confused, Vio inspected the room further, spotting a coffee table with a wash bowl and a teapot that still contained one third of liquid. His purple pullover laid there too, neatly folded together with his glasses placed on top right next to his bag. After further inspection, Vio could affirm that he was inside a living room telling from the TV, the couch he was laying on and the dining table nearby. 

_This place… I think I’ve been here before…_ Carefully, Vio tried to get up. He was still a little dizzy and insecure, arms shaking under the effort of pushing him up bit by bit. A moan slipped past his lips as the pressure in his head increased with the upright position, indicating that his fever was still present, just not as fierce as he recalled it back in school. Halfway up, he looked around, searching for something that might help his memory to recall who the owner of his place was but the absence of his glasses made it hard to identify any family picture decorating the walls. Hesitantly, Vio reached out for his glasses but quickly found himself oddly weak, arm heavy and unwieldy, the fever in addition making his muscles hurt. 

“Ah! No!” 

The surprised shriek reaching his ears caused him to startled, the sound piercing his eardrums sharply, sending jolts of pain through his skull. Before Vio could take notice, quick steps scurried over the carpet to the couch and two tiny hands grabbed his shoulders from behind, carefully guiding him back down into the pillows. 

“You shouldn’t get up like this already!” a familiar voice scolded. “You’ve been out for a while, your body won’t be able to handle so much stress right now.” Feeling slightly overwhelmed from the massive wall of words crushing down on him, Vio blinked, dumbfounded, at the round face appearing above him, frowning while trying to recognize just who it was. 

“Red?” he then guessed. Red’s place. Yes, that was Red’s place, he remembered. That made sense and so did Red’s appearance. The gently looking face above him smiled fondly at his question, dark blue orbs shining with relief enclosed by strawberry blond locks. 

“Good to see you awake, Vio! You got me worried there for a sec.” The small student walked around the couch to take a seat in the armchair next to it, reaching for the washcloth Vio was still holding to give it a rinse. “How do you feel?” 

“Uhm…” Should he be honest? Vio felt terrible! He had been feeling terrible for quite a while even without the fever but could he really say it like this? It was Red after all, he could trust him. Still, his inner barricade furiously said no, forcing him to keep that lousy mouth shut, not spilling even one of his flaws. Play pretend like it’s not a big deal, just a small slip nothing more. He wasn’t weak! He wasn’t struggling! He was ok! This is how he was supposed to be – wasn’t he? “I’m okay,” he said sullenly. “As much as you can be with a fever that is.” 

“Are you sure? Your face is still very flushed.” Unconvinced, Red leaned forward and stretched out his arm, hand gently touching his temple and neck. Vio shivered under the touch, Red’s knuckles cool and soothing as they brushed his hot skin. “Hmm, you’re still very warm. You definitely need more rest.” Red pulled back slowly and took the washcloth out of the bowl, wringed it out shortly and placed it back on Vio’s forehead, gently pushing a few strands of hair away, so they wouldn’t get soaked. “There, that should be better.” 

The cold spreading over his face was relieving and pleasant, causing a long appreciating sigh over Vio’s lips, eyes closing to take in all the cool he could grasp from that small washcloth. The covers were pulled up to fully cover his shoulders, embracing him with lulling warmth, pulling him further away from wakefulness. Red hummed contently watching the other relax again and placed a hand on top of his hair, tenderly combing through it. 

“Try to get some sleep. I’ll make us dinner in the meantime. Is that okay for you?” 

“...” Actually, it wasn’t. His intentions told him to get back up, head home, do his homework, go to work. There was no time for such futile things as… rest. Such a silly thought actually. He needed rest to function, to operate the way he was supposed to. He knew that but fully grasping that wasn’t all that easy with his inner demons screaming up at him for his wretchedness. However, the way Red moved his fingers so delicately over his scalp shooed all of it away, the anxiety, this nagging feeling doing the wrong thing, leaving only the pleading voices echoing through his body that begged him to oblige. To rest. So Vio nodded slowly, murmuring his approval in incomprehensible slurs. 

“Alright.” Even though he didn’t see it, he knew that Red was smiling at him. He always smiled when people listened to him, because he knew what was best for his friends. He always knew. “Say, do you have to go to work today?”

“…work?” The calm was gone instantly and Vio would have jumped up on the couch if his aching body wouldn’t have stopped him from doing so halfway up into the sitting position. “Shit, how late is it?! I have to- ugh!” His middle started hurting from the abuse it went through as he shot up at once and the fever nearly made him blackout, blurring his perception. 

“Easy, Vio!” Before he could take notice, his head was embedded by pillows again, circulation following close behind and stabilizing again, leaving him slightly addled and droopy. “You’re in no condition for that! It would be reckless to go to work like this!” Red was right, it was reckless but strangely, Vio had trained himself to not pay attention to his voice of reason anymore, which had resulted in him fainting during work once. He wasn’t going to let Red know this. He’d be mad if he did. “I’ll have a phone call with your boss and tell them you won’t be able to work today. There is no way I’m letting you leave like this.”

“But-“

“No buts! You are sick and you will rest until you feel better!” Vio flinched under Red’s tenacious speech. He really was persistent when it came to his friends’ well-being. How was he supposed to resist against that? Intelligent talk wouldn’t come easy for him and he lacked arguments to counter. By any means, he didn’t have a choice. He had to stay.

“Fine,” Vio exhaled in surrender, slumping deeper into the couch.

Red smiled happily, readjusting the sheets and the cold compress on his forehead. “That’s right. Rest for now. I’ll go and talk to your boss.” Saying that, Red rose from the armchair and left the room. Vio felt slightly uneasy with the thought of missing out on work once again, wishing that his boss wouldn’t call on his parents. He couldn’t handle another scolding from his father now, not with him being so sick. Returning to his comfortable state, sleep caught up quickly with him again. He merely passed the moment Red started talking in the kitchen but the words that still reached him didn’t affect him anymore. 

\- 

Vio’s boss, who happened to be a very kind and understanding woman, showed a lot of sympathy as Red had told her what had occurred right after school and why Vio couldn’t come to work today. She spoke her get-wells for him and announced that she would be calling his parents soon, saying how inconsiderate it was of them to let their sick son go to work like this and how she couldn’t effort calling an ambulance again. 

“It causes too much of a stir that scares away many customers and potential future employees. The reputation of my restaurant suffers under this,” the woman had explained on the phone. “I can’t deal with an employee that constantly gets sick or even faints during work! Throughout my entire career as a chef, I’ve never experienced something equally worse. I value each of my employees and I always treat them fairly and conscientiously but what had happened the last few weeks was absolutely inacceptable! That poor boy! What kind of parent would allow something like this?”

Red wished he had an answer to that question. He didn’t understand either why Vio’s parents would force him into such things. It seemed so wrong. Just thinking that Vio’s mother would tolerate such abuse, she always seemed like such a kind and loving person. His father however – not so much. His memories of him were very faint since he had barely ever seen him whenever he was over at Vio’s place. Hardworking. Strict. These were usually words his friend used to describe his father. Perhaps, he was trying to convey some of these traits over to Vio, seemingly with very questionable methods, telling by the way the other tried to stop him to call an ambulance before passing out in the underpass. Could it be that his father did even worse things to him? He really hoped not. 

A long sigh left Red’s lips as he kept stirring the soup he was preparing on the stove, juggling these thoughts back and forth, unsure what to believe. He really wanted to talk about this with Vio, wanted to know what was troubling him so much and what caused all of this but he feared that the other wouldn’t open up to him for that matter. Vio never revealed more than necessary and this was something that he wouldn‘t just simply give away that easy. Red felt so desperate. He hated seeing his friend sick and hurt and not being able to do anything against it. Was there nothing he could do to help him? Anything? 

Feeling a tinge of hopelessness clutching his heart, Red reached for his spoon, giving the broth a taste. There was the sweetness of the onion, that small tick of garlic and ginger, the cool aftertaste of anise and glove but unsurprisingly, it still needed a bunch of seasoning. More salt. Some pepper. Some rock-sugar. Fish-sauce. He tasted it again. The flavor was right but much saltier than usual. Strange. He decided to keep it like this since the noodles would absorb some of the excess salt. Satisfied, he closed the lid and let the flavors work their magic while simmering, so he could prepare the noodles and some toppings for the soup. Just then, he noticed the rustling of bedsheets in the living room and wondered if Vio was awake again, but the noises died down rather quickly, so he didn’t pay it any more thought. 

_He probably just shifted while sleeping._ Feeling himself smile at the thought, Red got himself a good handful of rice noodles to give them a quick soak in cold water before adding them to the pot of boiling water. _I hope Vio will enjoy my dish._

As the thought had crossed his hemisphere, he heard silent steps closing in and turned his gaze in the direction of the living room, where he spotted Vio standing in the doorframe, rubbing his eyes underneath his glasses. “Vio!” Red voiced astounded, approaching him hurriedly. “You shouldn’t leave the couch! You might-!” With one quick motion, Vio raised a hand, cutting off his words and indicated that there was no need to worry. 

“I’m okay, Red.” His voice was still heavy and weary sounding, the tired look in his face not really supporting his statement. “I’m feeling much better already.” Red frowned skeptically, closing in to reach for Vio’s face and pulled him down until their foreheads touched. The other’s breath hitched in surprise, not having seen Red’s sudden action but it steadied out as soon as he realized what was going on. Vio wasn’t wrong. His temperature seemed back to normal again but that didn’t mean that he should be moving around already. 

“Looks like your fever has ceased,” the smaller boy said relieved, letting go of the other. “But you shouldn’t walk around like this. Your body is still weakened after all.”

“I’m aware of that,” Vio responded calmly. “But I consider myself good enough to do so. I didn’t want to call out for you.” 

“Silly,” Red smiled under a small giggle. “Moving around is not beneficial if your body requires rest!”

“I know,” Vio sighed, forcing a fine, weak smile of his own. “I noticed the smell from the kitchen, so I got curious and wanted to look for myself.” 

“Oh! It’s on old pho recipe from my grandma. I thought, you might want something a little lighter to help you recover faster. Why don’t you wait in the living room? I’ll be done in a few.”

The other frowned uncomfortably, not really backing Red’s proposal. “It looks like a lot of work you do here. Perhaps I should help you with something.” 

“Definitely not.” With a quick motion of his hands, Red spun Vio around by the hips and carefully pushed him back inside the living room. “You shouldn’t strain yourself unnecessarily, so you’ll be waiting patiently until I’m done with everything. And besides, you are my guest! That’s completely out of the question.” Reaching the couch again, he pushed his friend down by the shoulders to make him sit, receiving a rather baffled expression in response. “No moving around while I’m in the kitchen, understood?”

“Uhm,” Vio mumbled back confused, looking oddly lost at Red’s rather simply demand but nodded timidly anyway. “Fine. I’ll wait then.”

“Good.” Satisfied he turned on his heels happily and returned to the stove to continue with the preparations. By the time Red came back, the noodles were perfectly cooked and ready to be served. Very thoughtfully, he assembled two bowls, putting much more effort and care into Vio’s portion than his own. Rice noodles lying elegantly in a pool of golden broth, topped with a little bit of shredded chicken. Bean sprouts. Spring onion, but not too much. A little bit of fresh ginger. Cilantro, finely chopped. A squeeze of lime and to finish it off: a small dash of chili. Red smiled down at the two dishes, chest swelling with pride and he took the bowls and maneuvered himself back into the living room, watching carefully to not spill anything. 

Halfway into the living space, Red halted, feeling his carefree mood leave him again as he spotted the other on the couch curled onto himself, head resting against the seatback, eyes dull and tired-looking. Like a heavy stone, the felicity in his heart dropped down into his guts, chest clenching tightly and face twisting to a sad grimace. Who was this person on the couch? Did this hopeless, hollow shell really belong to his long-time friend? When did he start to fall apart like this? Fade like this? This wasn’t the Vio he knew. The Vio he knew always wore that certain poise, cool and aloof like nothing could ever cause to shake his persona. That fierce spark in his eyes, always alert, always analyzing, calculating, evaluating – where was it now? 

In his track of thoughts, ice-blue pinned him tiredly, shaking him awake at once and Red moved hesitantly again, forcing a smile as he approached the other. “I hope you’re hungry.” Carefully Red held out the bowl with steaming soup for Vio to take it. He thanked him and reached out slowly, eyeing the food with a slight hint of reluctance. Red sat down in the armchair again, grabbing his chopsticks and started eating. “Itadakimasu!”

While Red slurped his noodles greedily, Vio didn’t seem very appealed of the thought of eating, looking slightly sickish from the mere thought alone, but eventually he also took a pair of chopsticks, moved all the decorative stuff to the side of the bowl and picked at the rice noodles indecisively. Red watched him, concerned. Usually, Vio dug right into his food and he had always liked his dishes. He wondered if the other actually ate decently enough because he didn’t really look like it. Vio also seemed unnaturally thin. Had that always been like this?

“Is something wrong, Vio?” Red asked, unable to hold the question in and immediately received a small flinch. “Don’t you feel like eating?” 

“It’s not that,” Vio responded wearily. “I’m just not used to- !” Before he could speak out what he actually intended to say, he stopped, swallowing the words instead. “-never mind.” Avoiding any further questions in that direction, Vio fished himself a bunch of noodles and ate them, still managing to look fairly elegant despite the silent slurping sounds. He chewed, slowly, expression unchanging as he studied all of the different flavors spreading on his tongue. Eager for his opinion, Red waited, trying to read some kind of thought out of his face and the first thing he noticed was that delightful roll of his eyes and a pleased hum. 

“Goodness,” Vio muttered, fishing for more noodles. “This tastes heavenly.” 

A big, proud smile stretched across Red’s cheeks. He still enjoyed his food. “I’m glad you like it.” 

Both of them ate in silence. By the time, Vio had increased his eating speed drastically, stuffing noodles and chicken into his mouth quicker than he could chew them as if he feared that someone would try to take it away from him. Red didn’t know if he should feel flattered or concerned about this. After he had finished, he placed his empty bowl on the coffee table. Now seemed like a good time to talk – if Vio was willing to of course. 

“Say, Vio.” They locked eyes and Red felt uncertainty prickling down his neck. Now, he wasn’t so sure anymore if he really wanted to know what was going on. What if Vio got it all wrong and would get mad at him? No, he wasn’t like that. He’d never get mad over something like this. He wasn’t like Blue who would constantly freak out over the smallest bits. But Vio was still a difficult type. It took a lot of him to talk about personal things and even more to reveal rather sensitive information. No. There was no reason to be scared. The only thing that could happen was that Vio would try to avoid the topic or simply refuse to speak about it entirely. The only important thing now was: How could Red approach such a conversation without scaring the other off right at the beginning? “Can I ask you something?”

That small glint in Vio’s eyes turned sullen. He seemed to know what was about to come. Of course he knew. He always knew. “What would you like to know?” Certainly, the way his voice dropped significantly to a much darker tone revealed that, whatever was about to come, he was not willing to speak about it despite accepting the conversation all together. He already lost and the actual conversation hadn’t even begun. 

“Uhm…” Feeling discouraged all of a sudden, Red’s hands found one another, fiddling restlessly in his lap. He couldn’t back down now. How else was he supposed to help his friend? Help his friend. Yes, he wanted to help Vio. It was okay to ask because he just wanted to help, right? He deserved an answer after all, after what had happened in the underpass, after not seeing each other for so long. Red really wanted to know what was wrong. 

Gathering new courage, Red inhaled deeply, collecting his thoughts anew. “Back in the underpass before you fainted, I wanted to call an ambulance but you stopped me, saying that your father would be mad at you when he finds out. What’s behind all this?”

In the middle of eating, Vio froze, face turning ashen in shock. “What?” he voiced airily, eyes open wide in disbelief and lowered the half empty bowl down onto his thighs. “I… really said that?”

“Yes,” Red nodded firmly. “You weren’t fully conscious but when I had got my phone, you reached out to me telling me to stop and you looked so… frightened.” 

“Is that so?”

“And… when I called your boss earlier, she seemed very desperate and wants to have a talk with your parents. Maybe she was exaggerating but it sounded to me like she believes that your father is abusing you.” Looking oddly lost at the reveal, Vio averted his gaze, eyeing the armrest and pupils shifting nervously as he tried to recall the fuzzy memory from the underpass. Seemingly, his mind could affirm his fear and his face twisted in discomfort, ears tilting under it. 

“…” 

And here, Red feared he had messed it up as the other turned deafeningly silent, his posture crumbling, making him seem unfamiliar exposed and vulnerable. The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity and Red felt the urge to fill it with something. An apology maybe for upsetting the other? A question to encourage him to speak up eventually? None of this felt right but neither did not saying anything. 

“Vio, I-… I’m so-!” 

“No,” Vio then voiced firmly, placing his bowl on the coffee table to keep his hands free before focusing on Red’s face again. “Don’t apologize!” Where did the sudden resolution come from? That wasn’t there only a second ago, was it? “I- I guess I do owe you an explanation after all the trouble I’ve caused you.” 

“Oh.” That was unexpected. “I- I see.” The distance between them felt awkward, so Red rose and walked over to the couch to sit next to him. Vio accepted the closeness, guessing from the way the tension in his back wore off slightly with him being near. 

_I’ll better keep it down. Not that he thinks I’m pushing him or something._

Carefully, he placed a hand between Vio’s shoulder blades, caressing him gently. “You don’t have to say anything if you truly don’t want to but I’m really worried about you and I hate seeing you like this.” 

Vio nodded at his words in acknowledgement, sighing heavily. “I haven’t spoken about this to anyone yet but… I think-.” Ice-blue met night blue again, shining with something akin to shame, fear but also relief. “Maybe it’s good to get rid of it for once. Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course.”

Vio heaved another sigh, this time much lighter. “Alright.”

-

Red watched Vio with grief as he got into his shoes and shouldered his bag. He had insisted that he had to leave after they had talked for almost two hours straight. Just talked, nothing else. It had gotten late already, sunset closing in and Red felt anything but comfortable letting his friend go home like he intended to. 

“Are sure you’ll be okay? I really don’t want to let you go like this,” Red asked concerned, voice drained and weary. After adjusting his pullover, Vio eyed him again, smiling fondly, appreciating his thoughtfulness. 

“I’ll be fine, Red. Please don’t worry,” the other replied calmly, petting his head softly. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Red believed he just saw that hint of coolness in his eyes, that unshakable confidence that he had known from him ever since and it made him light up slightly. Yes, Vio was better now but for how long? He didn’t dare presuming that. 

“Please be careful and write me when you’ve made it back home safely, will you?” 

“I will,” the other replied, taking his hand back and bowed politely in silent farewell. “Thank you for everything! I owe you a debt.” 

Taken aback by Vio’s action, he reached for his shoulders, making him look up again. “Please don’t! You don’t owe me anything. You would’ve done the same in my stead.”

“Still… it’s nothing that goes without saying. Let me know whenever you are in need of my help. I’ll arrange the time somehow.” 

Red flushed involuntarily at Vio’s genuineness, hand reaching for the back of his head in embarrassment. “I-It’s not a big deal really.” 

“Maybe for you it isn’t but it means the world to me,” came the prompt answer which left Red slightly slack-jawed. “You are a good friend, Red. I’m glad I can rely on someone like you. I’ll see you around.” 

That said, Vio turned on his heels and reached for the door handle. Halfway out of the apartment, Red grabbed the sleeve of his pullover, stopping him in his tracks.

“Wait!” 

“Huh?” Confused, Vio looked back at the other. “What is it, Red?”

“Uhm…” He didn’t mean to reach out for the other like this actually. That was spontaneous as if something had snapped in the back of his mind, a small voice that didn’t really wanted the other to leave but he knew, he had to. His face blushed a few shades darker and he lowered his head instinctively, not wanting his friend to see it. “P-please take care of yourself!” 

A silent huff blew through Vio’s lips, fingers curling around the hand that still held on to his sleeve. Red froze in surprise, feeling the spot where their skin touched starting to prickle strangely. “I will.” Somehow, these words felt oddly heavy on his chest, rich with certainty, rich with feeling, really hard to comprehend. This wasn’t just a yes – it felt like so much more actually.

Before Red was able to properly respond, the hand holding his was gone and he watched Vio walk down the staircase, turning once to flash him a content smile that made his heart skip a beat. As he vanished from his vision, Red went back inside the house. His hand was still warm as he held it against his chest. He… felt relieved. Kind of. It was still shocking for him to understand that, indeed, Vio’s father did abuse him and the reason for that was absolutely absurd but – Vio was smiling at him, truly smiling at him. He was happy, if even for just a small moment. Perhaps it would be easier for him to stick with him for now. Maybe there was a chance that he could make it more bearable for him. Maybe. 

Red wanted to help him, knowing that he couldn’t, but that didn’t scare him off for one bit. 

\---

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, please leave some love by smashing that kudos button and leaving a comment down below! Helpful advice and critism is always appreciated. Stay safe and I'll see you in the next fic! :D


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